HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-10-07-TAC-minTransportation Advisory Committee (TAC) Minutes
October 7, 2013
Members Present: Bill Levison, Co- chair; Peter Levy, Co- Chair; Sara Arnold; Elaine Dratch
Members Absent: Francine Stieglitz; Sally Castleman;Mike Boudett;Larry Link (honorary
member)
Liaisons Present: Nancy Adler, Council on Aging
Staff Present: Jeanette Rebecchi, Transportation Manager; Charlotte Rogers, Human
Services Director
Minutes: The September 12, 2013 Minutes were unanimously approved with the
correction of one typo in the spelling of Lexpress.
2. School Transportation & Safety Review: Ms. Dratch reported on School
Transportation and Safety activities:
• Mary Ellen Dunn circulated a draft "Traffic Safety & Mitigation Policy" to
address safety issues related to transportation to /from the schools. TAC
suggested that the "Tips" section of the Policy also include safety information
about riding Lexpress. Ms. Dratch to provide the edits to Mary Ellen Dunn
(Ms. Rebecchi to send Ms. Dratch the wording used for safety tips in Lexpress
literature.)
• School bus pass - holders for FY '14 is up to 2850 students (44% of school
population), an increase of 700 pass - holders since the cost was reduced for FY
'12.
Transportation Services Update
Ms. Rebecchi provided a monthly update:
• Ms. Rebecchi attended Diamond Middle School and Lexington High School
open nights where she provided information about Lexpress for parents. She
also had literature advertising the Student volunteer position on TAC.
• Free Mini -Ride for Seniors: October 25 t11 (10:15 am at Depot Sq.), a Lexpress
bus will transport seniors around Route 1 for free. The Liberty Ride
coordinator will provide a historical narrative during the ride. At the end of
the ride there will be a' /z walking tour of the Battle Green.
• Lexpress ridership is generally ahead of last year due to the increase in senior
riders (free rides program).
Location of the Transportation Services Office: TAC will be asked for its
opinion by the Community Center Committee regarding the location of the
Transportation Services office (Town Hall or Community Center). TAC has
taken the position that there should be some Transportation Services presence
at the Community Center (sell bus passes; answer questions), but how that is
accomplished should be determined by the Human Services staff. TAC will
respond to the Community Center Committee when contacted.
Transportation Working Group: Ms. Rebecchi is arranging a transportation
luncheon to discuss senior transportation with representatives from TAC,
COA, and FISH on Wednesday October 30 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Mr.
Levison, Ms. Dratch, and Ms. Arnold will represent TAC.
4. GPS Technology and Smart Bus
In addition to the GPS Technology PIR discussed at the September TAC meeting,
Transportation Services is contemplating a second PIR for Smart Bus technology. This
PIR would be for an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) the Route 128 Business
Council is planning to develop with grant money it received two years ago. This system
would be seen as an upgrade to the GPS technology contemplated for installation in FY
'15 and would be capable of accepting requests for door -to -door service (could be used
on Lexpress or other vehicles).
Ms. Rebecchi requested feedback from TAC on these proposals.
5. TDM Accounts
Mr. Levison presented his proposal for Lexpress funding from TDM/PT Stabilization
Fund for FY2015.
TAC unanimously approved a motion to allocate $88,000 from the TDM Fundas a
portion of the Transportation (Lexpress) budget for FY 2015.
6. Lexpress Route Changes for FY 2015
Ms. Rebecchi has proposed that the Lexpress routes be reviewed in an attempt to make
them more efficient (reduce maximum travel time to 25 minutes) and to accommodate
transportation to /from the new Community Center. Rather than making small changes to
the routes, Ms. Rebecchi has proposed trying to design new routes. TAC noted that a
public hearing would be needed before wholesale changes can be made to the routes.
As a first step, Ms. Rebecchi will be organizing a meeting (separate from the monthly
TAC meetings) to review new route proposals with interested TAC members. Ms.
Rebecchi will be contacting TAC to set up a date /time for this meeting.
7. Student Representative
Mr. Boudett identified the High School coordinator of the Community Service program
(Ms. Tringale). Mr. Levison obtained, completed and submitted a form to have the TAC
Student Representative position formally approved for Community Service.
Mr. Levy contacted the faculty advisor for the National Honor society (Dr. Kumar) with
regard to enabling the Student Representative position to qualify for the Society's
Community Service requirement.
Materials Used at the Meeting:
Agenda
Meeting Minutes, September 9, 2013
Lump Sum TOMAccounts
TDM /PT Component of FY15 Transportation Budget
Smart Bus Program Improvement Request (Draft)